Toy



Febu 5 W, H. J. DOWNEY TOY Filed Sept. 29. 1921 2 Sheet s-Sheet 1 Feb. 5 19 24.

w. H. .1. DOwN EY TOY 2 Shets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 29, 192;

Patented Feb. 5, 1924.

meant WILLIAM H. J'. DOVVNEY, F 'WILETING'I'ON, DELAWARE.

TOY.

Application filed'September 29, 1921. Serial No. 504,136.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, l/VTLLIAM H. J. DowNnY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wilmington, in the county of New Castle and State of Delaware, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Toys, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to toys and has for an object to provide a toy of the general roundabout class having improved gravity means for establishing and maintaining the roundabout motion.

A further object of the invention is to provide a roundabout toy having a mast ineluding a spiral with means for moving downwardly and spirally about the mast, carrying arms to which are attached movable and moving members.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for continuing and maintaining the rotary action .of the arms after the descending member has passed from engagement with the spiral.

With these and other objects in view the invention comprises certain novel parts, elements, units, combinations, arrangements, mechanical movements and functions, as disclosed in the drawings, together with mechanical equivalents thereof, as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device shown in operative position;

Figure 2 is a view of the device in side elevation, shown in folded position.

Figure 3 is a view in 'diame'trical vertical section through the spiral and showing the mast'partly in side elevation and partly in section;

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view through the device taken on line 4% of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a vertical diametrical sectional view taken on a line at right angles to Figure 8, and

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the hub with the hub casing removed.

Like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

The improved toy which forms the subject matter of this application comprises a mast 10 supported upon afoot 11, the form of the foot being immaterial, one form, that of apl'ane disk, being shown at Figure 1. Preferably, also anupright 12 connects the foot 11 with the mast 10, although such upright is'imm'aterial' to the proper functioning of the device.

About the mast 10 a spiral 13 is secured taking the form of aitube concentric with the mast having a spiral slottherein, although in the actual manufacture of thedevice the construction will probably be that of rolling a flat strip of metal about a cylindrical core. The spiral '13 is secured to and spaced c011- centrically from the mast 10 in any approved manner as by inserting the upper at Figure 5, a spring 21 being provided for holding the lever yieldingly in operative posltlon, as shown 111 full lines in such figure, but permitting the manual movement of the same to the dotted line position facilitating engagement with the spiral and permitting the movement of the hub freely up-- wardly and downwardly upon the spiral.

Carried also by the hub are radial arms 22 hinged, as shown more particularly at Figure 3, by means ofa wire 23 about said hub and through eyes 24% in the inner ends of the arms 22.

A housing comprising the sections 25 and 26 encloses that part of the hub to which the arms 22 are pivoted, having slots 27 which permit the movement of. the arms 22 upon their pivots to folded position shown at Figure-.2 and forms stops 28 (see Figure 3) to hold the arms 22 approximately in horizontalalinement. The two parts 25 and 26 are preferably separable and are held together by means of spring fingers- 29, although it is apparent that any means of holding the sections united will serve the purpose.

The arms 22 are preferably provided adjacent their outer extremities with perforations 80 proportioned to be engaged by hooks 31 suspending preferably miniature representations of aeroplanes. Such aeroplanes are indicated by the wings 32, rudder 33 and fuselage 34. To the forward end of the fuselage, tractor propellors 35 are j ournaled in such manner and such position that as the arms rotate in the direction in-. dicated by the arrow at Figure l the propellors 35 will be engaged by the air and rotated to simulate the rotation of tractor propellors of aeroplanes.

The top of the mast- 10 is preferably provided with a stop 36 of any ornamental form, a ball being shown in the drawings for that purpose, which is removable and replaceable by means of the pin 37 to permit the removal of the hub 17 when required, but to prevent the accidental displacement thereof in ordinary use.

Below the lower end of the spiral 13 an interval 38 is provided of such dimension that the nose 20 of the lever 18 will pass be low the lower end of this spiral and after passing the end of the spiral no longerinterferes with the free rotation of the arms 22 and the devices carried thereby. A disk 39 surrounds the mast 10 at this point and is carried upon ball bearings, as indicated at 40 so that when the hub 17 moves downwardly to release the nose 20 from the spiral the momentum of the rotating parts will meet with but little resistance to continued rotation and will continue to rotate until the friction of the air and the very slight friction of the mechanical parts overcomes such momentum. When the parts have finally come to rest, the lever 18 is moved to the dotted line position as shown at Figure 5, the hub and associated parts moved up wardly along the spiral 13 to the top or so far as may be desired, the lever 18 released, whereupon the nose 20 will again engage the spiral and gravity will cause the parts to rotate about the mast as it move downwardly.

For packing, storing and shipping, the de vices shown in Figure 1 as aeroplanes are removed from the arms by unhooking at 31 and the arms 22 moved upon their pivots upwardly beside the mast, as shown at Fig ure 2, whereby space is economized.

lVhile the several mechanical parts and the devices carried thereby have been shown in detail and particular, it is to be understood that each and every one may be varied considerably within the scope of this invention and the claims forming a part hereof.

hat I claim is:

1. A toy comprising a vertical mast, a helical guide extending approximately the length of the mast but stopping short at the upper and lower ends, a hub slidable upon the mast, manually-operable mean carried by the hub for engaging the helical guide and so positioned as .to escape the guide at the lower end where the helical guide is interrupted, an anti-friction member disposed to receive and support the hub after escaping the helical guide, radial arms carried by the hub, and devices carried adjacent the extremities of the radial arms.

2. A toy comprising a vertical mast, a helical guide surrounding the mast and extending approximately the length .of the mast but stopping short of the end thereof, a hub mounted to slide upon the mast, manual means carried by the hub for engaging the helical guide and proportioned to escape the guide at the lower end of the mast, an anti-friction disk surrounding the mast at the lower end and positioned to receive and support the hub, arms extending radially from the hub, devices suspended beneath the outer ends of the arms, and means carried by the devices to be engaged and operated by the air.

3. A toy comprising a helical guide having a normally vertical axis, hub rotatable on the guide, a finger carried by the hub extending into the volutions of the helix, outwardly extending arms carried by the hub, means facilitating the folding of said arms relative to said hub and into juxtaposition with aid guide, and parts extending beyond the helix, maintaining said hub in rotatable condition.

4. A toy comprising a helical guide hav ing a normally vertical axis, a hub rotatable on the guide, a finger carried by the hub extending into the volutions of the helix, outwardly extending arms carried by the hub, means facilitating the folding of said arms relative to said hub and into juxtaposition with said guide, parts of said hub proportioned to extend beyond the helix to maintain said hub in rotatable condition, and means at the lower end of said guide to support and facilitate the rotation of said hub.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WVILLIAM H. J. DOWVNEY.

Witnesses:

HARRY B. STEADLEY, MARY E. HANEY. 

